<p>I have great concerns about the fate of NG, stated its outgoing chief Knížák.</p>

Prague - Milan Knížák is leaving the position of Director General of the National Gallery after 12 years. The renowned Czech artist leaves behind an institution with balanced budgets, an extensive collection of Czech modern and contemporary art, but primarily a number of controversial actions and unresolved disputes with the Czech art community. He is troubled not only by the current leadership of the Ministry of Culture but especially by his successor, economist Vladimír Rösel. "Unfortunately, over the years I failed to build a strong team from which my adequate successor could emerge," Knížák replied to ČTK when asked what he thought he had done wrong during his leadership of the NG.
The controversial Czech artist, sculptor, painter, and musician took the lead of the NG in July 1999. Now he is bidding farewell to his position. However, he feels no nostalgia, relief, or regret. He is only looking forward to new artistic projects for which he did not have enough time in his role. He did not hand over the reins of the significant artistic institution in the way he envisioned. "I would consider it normal if I were given guarantees that the new leadership of the National Gallery would protect and develop what has been successfully achieved, and only then introduce new impulses. So far, it seems that it is exactly the opposite. I have great concerns about the future of the NG," Knížák stated. He said he managed only to answer a few questions in writing for his successor and to present a permanent installation at the Veletržní Palace. Afterward, he was ordered to take a vacation. Due to the tense atmosphere, he even abandoned the intention to organize a farewell with the NG employees and his collaborators.
Rösel, however, contends that he was not the one complicating the handover of the office. "I think Mr. Knížák completely misunderstood his role. As an outgoing employee, he had the duty to hand me, as they say, a clean desk. However, he refused to even complete the handover protocol, and I ordered him to take a vacation because he had not come to work for weeks," Rösel told ČTK.
"It was clear from the beginning that (Vladimír Rösel) does not understand the art world and will necessarily rely on experts whom he will not be able to choose. I do not understand his directorial actions and consider them arrogantly amateurish. He does not respect established systems, cancels prepared projects, and brings absolute amateurs into the gallery who have nothing to do with art. He devalues the work already done by entire teams and, of course, the financial resources expended," Knížák further stated. "I brought only one new person to the NG who is not responsible for either the collection or the exhibition activity. Otherwise, all my collaborators were working here even under the former director," Rösel responded and added that it is pointless to comment further on the attacks against him from Milan Knížák.
Despite the existing disagreements with the new gallery leadership, the former director views his tenure at the NG positively. He is proud of the extensive collection of Czech modern and contemporary art at the Veletržní Palace, that he secured new donors among artists and gallery owners, and that he attracted new sponsors to the NG. Last but not least, he values the work of the editorial department, whose publications regularly receive the title of Most Beautiful Book of the Year.
He himself regards the NG as the memory of Czech cultural history, which should be one of the pillars of the nation's existence. "In the government - and especially in the Ministry of Culture - there should be cultural people who understand things and who are not focused on building a political career. They should be able to fight for the cause of culture and art. But we have not had such people there for a long time," Knížák comments on the current political scene.
He does not evaluate the domestic art community or journalists any more favorably. "In the prestigious publication 500 Works of Art of the 20th Century, only three Czechs are mentioned: Kupka, Kolář, and Knížák. Among the 1000 most important musical compositions of the 20th century is my Broken Music. It's embarrassing that I have to say this about myself, but the Czech art public and Czech media never mention these facts. Being exceptional is a crime in the Czech Republic," Knížák added.
Knížák was born on April 19, 1940, in Plzeň. Since the 1960s, he has been one of the pioneers of happenings and conceptual art in Eastern Europe, engaging in painting, design, fashion, architecture, literature, and music. After the regime change in 1990, he became the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts (until 1997), where he later completed his doctoral studies.